HWKN Creates a Green Hill on an NYC Rooftop for BMW MINI

Wherever it is that your company holds its parties, it's not better than this verdant green rooftop event space by HWKN for BMW MINI, so if you're prone to jealousy, don't read on. Located atop an NYC building, the temporary installation was a part of MINI’s “Creative Use of Space” campaign celebrating the design elements of the Mini Cooper as well as its ability to pack a big punch in a small package. The festive setup featured a rolling green hill with "seating dimples," a performance stage and a luminous LED carpet leading to a panorama bar overlooking the Hudson.

Conceived by HWKN‘s Matthias Hollwich, Marc Kushner, Marc Perrotta, Patricia Sahm, Paul Sanders, Jefferson Frost, Robert May, Will Kemper, and Evan V. Watts, the 1,000 sq. ft. space is certainly unique – have you ever seen a hill on an NYC rooftop before? Since the temporary venue was part of BMW MINI’s ”Creative Use Of Space” campaign, the team tackled the project with an “object-in-field” approach, fusing brake lights and other design elements of the Mini Cooper right into the space.

Centered around a grassy mound, which also doubled as seating for guests, the installation also included a performance stage, a speaker platform which was embedded in an existing billboard, and an LED carpet that doubled as a horizontal billboard. While the project has since been dismantled, the photos that remain illustrate the type of dramatic green roof design that can be accomplished even temporarily.